2024 was just like all the other years regarding my game selection. Barely any of the titles I played were released in 2024. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the only new game, and Horizon Forbidden West on PC was just a re-release on a different platform. I was debating whether to continue this series, especially since the end of the year was not the best time health-wise. Motivation to play or write was nonexistent.

Before trying to squeeze any more semi-interesting words out of my fingers and waste everybody’s time, let me summarize the games I played.

Let The Games Begin

The first items on this list are games I started in 2023 and omitted from that year’s summary. This year was very PC-gaming heavy. There wasn’t much on Sony’s console that tickled my fancy, and last year’s Steam and Epic sales and excellent free games expanded my pile of shame by quite a bit.

Wolfenstein 2 The New Colossus (PC)

I may have finished the last entry of the Wolfenstein reboot shortly before the year ended, but after I wrote my Year in Review blog post. Whatever the truth, it’s on the 2024 list now.

Machine Games did an incredible job with their reimagining of the franchise. Apart from The Old Blood, the weakest entry, The New Order and The New Colossus contained so much good storytelling and character moments besides the frantic action and mechanically robust gunplay. If the games had just been about shooting virtual Nazis, they would have still been outstanding shooters, but they would have missed the soul that B.J. and Anya brought to the reboot.

The developers expanded the gameplay with optional side missions that let you eliminate various Nazi commanders and presumably find loot and other goodies for upgrades along the way. I completely ignored that part and only focused on the main story. While the gameplay was good, it was too visceral for me, as I mentioned in last year’s installment of my year in review. There was too much screen shake and too much muzzle flash that obscured and disrupted my view of the action. And since enemies were bullet sponges, even on the lowest difficulty, there was a lot of shooting, muzzles flashing, and screens shaking.

The New Colossus concluded the story spectacularly with many crazy ideas and bizarre humor. While the technology held up well visually, the music quality was mediocre at best. It reminded me of the first years of digital music compression and 64 kbit/s MP3 files. Sound effects like explosions or weapons fire, voices, and ambient sounds were good. It was only the music that did not withstand the test of time.

If you live and breathe shooters, the Wolfenstein series is a must-play. Casual shooter enjoyers can still experience the great story by selecting a more accessible difficulty level.

God of War Ragnarök (PS5)

The God of War games have been a complicated pastime for me. I understand why gamers love these titles. Unfortunately for me, I had a love-hate relationship with both video games. I absolutely adored the world-building, the characters, and the story. It was the main reason for me to play them in the first place and see them through. The combat, though. And all the traversal puzzles. Man, those really got to me so many times in Ragnarök.

To be fair, I never played either of the two games frequently enough to become proficient with all the moves and skills of Kratos. That certainly hurt my efficiency and enjoyment. However, I played on “Gimme a story, brother”, and I still hated the majority of hours I spent traversing the many realms. The parry timings felt weird. There were many infuriatingly annoying enemies. It was a mass slaughter fest so often, turning it all into chaos. I had to micromanage my companions to shoot the correct type of arrow or magic at enemies. And despite the lowest difficulty, regular skirmishes still took way too long. On top of that, all the traversal puzzles early on stopped me dead in my tracks every five meters – that’s how it felt, at least. Santa Monica Studios seriously overdid this element in the first half of the game.

In summary, I have never been angry so often playing a game like it was the case with God of War Ragnarök. I am glad to be done with it, but at the same time, I am sad to have ignored and missed out on so much of the side content and great character moments because of that.

Immortals of Aveum (PC)

Immortals of Aveum was one of those 2023 releases that did not do well commercially and only received a lukewarm reception from critics. I, on the other hand, had a great time with it, just like with Starfield.

The game contains a lot of intriguing lore, a fascinating world, and beautiful Unreal 5-powered graphics. Its biggest downside is the now frowned-upon Marvel-style writing. That part was accurate, but I never found it annoying. Throughout the story’s progression, more profound and heartfelt moments reveal themselves. I enjoyed the story. The writing was good – as long as the style did not induce stomach cramps for you.

I was positively surprised by the gameplay. The magic shooting was tight and just a different version of precision, shotgun, and submachinegun weaponry. Several environmental puzzles reminiscent of God of War’s runes to open treasure chests interspersed the action for a bit of downtime. The game deserved a lot more credit than it received, and I believe it all came down to the tone that most people already had too much of after 20 or so MCU movies. Immortals of Aveum is a good game and worth a try.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered (PC)

In some aspects, my sentiment toward Spider-Man was similar to God of War (Ragnarök). However, it was also different because I enjoyed playing it a lot more. Spidey’s tale was marvelously spun, like the modern superhero movies. It contained entertaining action, strong storytelling and character development, and fantastic cinematics. However, it also included outdated Open World busywork, inconsequential side missions, and awkward transitions at the beginning and end of those.

The combat was challenging and very fast and required mastery to be effective. Spidey’s move set was vast and full of button combinations. Prolonged issues with one of my thumbs (too much Starfield with a gamepad) prevented me from sticking with the game regularly. Therefore, I lost track of most of the moves and skills because I had to take a long break, which lowered the combat’s effectiveness and enjoyment. On the other hand, I was not particularly upset by that (except for the pain, of course) because of the boring checkbox-style Open World experience. I lowered the difficulty to shorten the combat time and only focused on the main campaign after about 60% completion.

I also experienced some odd technical issues in this game. Conversations outside of cutscenes often paused awkwardly while already showing the subtitles. After a few seconds of silence, the audio started playing to catch up. In the area leading to the F.E.A.S.T. center, I repeatedly encountered several seconds-long hangs during which the game attempted to load the textures. I was shocked since this is one of the best ports PC gamers have received in recent years. I also found controlling Spidey’s movement to be very random at times. Swinging often catapulted me in directions I did not intend to go, which was very annoying in chase sequences – walking up walls, silently jumping down from perches, or sneaking around frustrated me more often than not.

Spider-Man Remastered was held together by its fast-paced punch-and-kick combat and excellent story and cinematics in the main campaign. I enjoyed the Open World activities less and found the imprecise traversal rather annoying after a while.

I think this is one of those games that look incredible when watching somebody else play them, like God of War. That was how I came to Spider-Man and GoW. Now that I have experienced both titles, I am confident I will not play the next God of War, and I am uncertain about Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2.

Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection (PC)

You may be surprised to see Uncharted pop up again this year, but I gave it another shot on PC using a keyboard and a mouse. This time, I was prepared for Uncharted 4’s way of storytelling and character moments. It helped to take the time to embrace these moments instead of just rushing through the levels and combat to finish the story. That was my first approach, and it was the wrong one. You better not be in a hurry when playing Uncharted 4. The Lost Legacy is closer to the originals while retaining some of the character moments of part 4.

Read my review if you would like to find a pirate treasure.

Saints Row 2022 (PC)

Saints Row was dumb fun and a bad GTA-like. It ran very well on Windows and Linux while looking acceptable at most. The voice acting was seriously top-tier. I was genuinely happy when I discovered the Nuclear Blast car radio channel, which greeted me with some fine Slayer, hailing Satan. I even had a few honest laughs because of the ridiculousness of some scenes. Unfortunately, the gameplay was boring and repetitive, and the sound design did not help bring all the action to life. Everything that was supposed to be loud was muted and dull. Guns did not deliver a punch to the ears, and sports cars could not manage to bring across the expected furious roar.

I knew of this title’s general weaknesses, and I only played it because Epic gave it away during their holiday madness in 2023. I was curious if it really was that bad. If you can ignore the uninspiring gameplay and bad sound design for the 10 to 15 hours it takes to finish the campaign, you will get a few laughs from this game. I couldn’t, although I would have liked to see how much more crazy it could have gotten.

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition (PC)

This game does not require an introduction or summary. I have written enough words in past years. The PC port runs beautifully on Windows and Linux. It is worth noting that the latest Kernels offer much better performance now than when I benchmarked it.

Read my reviews (base game, expansion) if saving a robotized world from outer space maniacs is your jam.

Read my technical discussion if you want to learn more about the PC version.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5)

After finishing FF7 Remake, I was unsure if I wanted to expose myself again to all the gameplay weirdness I disliked about Remake. I am glad I did. Rebirth had fewer of the enemy encounters I hated about its predecessor while adding a container ship full of mini-games instead to replace that. I hate mini-games.

Despite that, the integration of those into the world and the narrative is so immersive that Square Enix might be forgiven – a little bit, at least. FF7 Rebirth tells its story in the same engaging way as FF7 Remake did, and that is why I ultimately decided to play it.

The game is obviously not without flaws. FF7 Rebirth relies heavily on an outdated giant Open World design filled with checkboxes to tick. But despite that, Square Enix managed it in a way that made me want to do everything. It was all about the integration that created immersion. If it weren’t for one particular stupid mini-game, I would have completed all the open-world activities. The game was also very self-indulgent and spent much time on “side” activities that fleshed out the world and the characters. The Gold Saucer was the worst offender, as was the beach section. Both were hour-long missions that forced you into mini-games to progress.

This concept worked very well overall and created a surprisingly cohesive experience. However, it also slowed progress more than necessary. Side quests, on the other hand, were done exquisitely. Every side quest had a “sponsor”. One of Cloud’s companions was always particularly invested in optional quests, giving the content and side stories much more meaning and weight. The whole game, with the main and side content combined, felt much more personal because of it, which I immensely enjoyed.

Alan Wake Remastered (PC)

Alan Wake was a classic in its time and still is today. The remaster brought this title from the Xbox 360 into the modern era and gave it new life. It was the perfect preparation for the sequel. However, it was surely a different game from its successor. But it was built on the same outstanding storytelling that Remedy’s current titles are. It was exciting. It was gripping.

Read my review if all you do is walk around with a flashlight.

Deliver Us Mars (PC)

I played Deliver Us The Moon on PS5 the prior year and found it an exciting, cozy adventure game. Deliver Us Mars was very similar, although a bit more streamlined. It continued the story of Deliver Us The Moon and, surprise, surprise, sent me to Mars. There was more world lore to uncover, puzzles to solve, and even people to meet this time. It was a great palette cleanser after Alan Wake and the bigger games I played before.

Miasma Chronicles (PC)

I love post-apocalyptic worlds, and Miasma Chronicles applied this setting to a turn-based RPG. The lore was fascinating to discover throughout the game. Unfortunately, the main character’s writing was sub-par and felt like a petulant child. Luckily, this was partially made up for by the companions, who were much more believable and enjoyable.

The gameplay relied heavily on stealth and preparation before entering open combat. It also became stale after roughly half the game. First, you sneak around with the sniper to take out as many enemies from the shadows as possible before bringing in the squad to clear out the rest.

It wasn’t a long game for an RPG, which I welcomed. Not everything needs to be 50+ hours. Overall, it was a solid game worth checking out if turn-based combat and post-apocalypses are your jam.

Alan Wake 2 (PC)

Despite being a survival horror game, Alan Wake 2’s horror and tension were manageable for me. It never put me in a situation where I felt entirely helpless. This was in contrast to Resident Evil 7 and 8. I couldn’t even watch those games on YouTube. Alan Wake 2 continued Alan’s story. It was equally engaging and exciting. It even loosened the intensity in creative ways without being silly. Think full motion video with live actors, even Sam Lake, the game director himself. Think of Heavy Metal music during select setpiece moments.

Alan Wake 2 was something special. Nevertheless, the combat nearing its end bored me. I generally prefer quick and agile characters over this deliberate style. I also found some of the looping mission design annoying.

Alan Wake 2 was something special, though. I can admit to that objectively, despite the parts I disagreed with. It’s about damn time this game finds its way to Steam. It deserves a broader audience that eschews the Epic Games Store.

The One Game To Rule Them All

Before I reveal my favorite, let me quickly state that I base my pick on the games I played in 2024, not the ones released this year. My game list is all over the place, and selecting the top title based on its release in 2024 wouldn’t be much of a competition.

The ranking might surprise some people based on the names of the titles I played and how the gaming community generally perceived them, especially the third place, which I will begin with.

Immortals of Aveum takes place #3 on the podium. It might not be as sophisticated as Alan Wake 2, Spidey, or God of War, but unlike those games, the gameplay never let me down. I had fun from start to finish. I enjoyed the combat, the puzzles, the characters, and the story. More people should give it a try.

Alan Wake occupies the second spot. The game’s creativity and storytelling mastery are off the charts. It did not finish higher on the list because survival horror is not my favorite genre.

The first place on the podium is either very crowded or a huge platform. Cloud and his friends need room to fit in my #1 spot. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a phenomenal game, even if I disagree with some of its content. Even so, it creates such a compelling and cohesive experience packaged with a gameplay loop that is more to my liking.

Famous Last Words

Until recently, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to finish and publish this blog post. Personally, the holiday period of 2024 and going into 2025 were rough. As such, a big part of this blog post might feel rushed and incomplete. I also suffer from RSI issues more and more. Playing with a controller hurts my thumbs more than ever and prevents frequent and lengthy gaming sessions. A keyboard and a mouse are substitutes, but even that is no silver bullet. I must be careful with any input method.

With all the factors combined, the number of games I finished in 2024 was halved compared to 2023 – twelve versus twenty-four games.

2025 will bring new graphics cards, although I am cautious about getting excited. There will be cool future tech, but I do not expect mind-blowing uplifts for “traditionally” rendered titles, including ray-tracing. I feel my 9700XT will not find a reasonable successor in the upcoming NVIDIA 5000 and AMD 9000 generation. It depends on how much I desperately want to play Cyberpunk or Control again with all the ray-tracing they offer. And other titles, of course. I am interested in Star Wars Outlaws, for example.

Anyway. Let me call it a day and close this GOTY 2024 edition.

Thank you for reading.